Health

Health and healthcare are at the forefront of disability rights issues. In these pieces, you’ll find insights on topics ranging from insurance and the need for systemic change within medical institutions, to the importance of self-care for your physical and mental well-being.

A fair-skinned person with brown hair, face partially not visible because it's off-camera, holds their hand up to their ear, as though listening to something.

What My Joints Tell Me

CONTENT NOTE: unintentional and drastic weight loss (due to health issues), medical food restriction (not dieting), brief mention of self-harm (cutting) . . . . . . . . . . . . Summer in North Carolina is hot …

An older Asian woman with short dark hair waits in an office setting. She holds her head in her left hand, looking despondent. She's wearing a short-sleeved light blue top and dark shorts.

Substandard of Care: Accommodations in Healthcare

You can listen to an audio version of this essay here. As told to Editor-in-Chief Denarii Grace Rooted in Rights would like to acknowledge that this essay is the product of a collaborative effort between the storyteller…

Indoors. A group of people of different ages and races in a waiting room. Some are patients, seated, while the rest are healthcare workers standing around and a receptionist behind a desk.

No, I Can’t Always Give You 24 Hours’ Notice

“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to be able to make it to my appointment today. I’m in too much pain. I can’t sit long, let alone drive.” “Since you’re calling with less than 24 hours’ notice, there will …

Close up of a clear, plastic pill organizer with pills of various colors inside.

Chronically Ignored: How Western Medical Practices Harm Chronically Ill People

At 7:47 pm, I had so many wires attached to me. Though I craved my typical end of the day shower, I had to find another way to self-soothe. I did some yoga, avoiding the Superman and cobra poses; they …

Close up of a ripe, juicy mango that is peeled and sliced to the seed but still attached.

Slippery Mango, Tart Tangerine: Compassion for Gastrointestinal Disabilities

CONTENT NOTE: brief mention of unintentional weight loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . You are at a holiday party and the crowd is tossing back eggnog…

Ask to Vax!

COVID-19 Vaccines for Youth with Disabilities #AskToVax

DREDF, YO! Disabled & Proud, and Rooted in Rights have joined together to help disabled California Youth learn more about COVID-19 vaccines for children aged five and up. Children and youth with underlying

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Stressed brown-skinned teacher with long, straight, dark hair in a colorful classroom, sitting at the toy table.

Removing the Stigma of Alcoholism in the Teaching Profession

CONTENT NOTE: detailed discussion of substance abuse and trauma . . . . . . . . . . . I began drinking heavily during college when I took a semester off, moving from Boston back to Baltimore to…

Two younger, dark-haired people with long hair - one brown-skinned, the other fairer skinned - in a living room. The fairer skinned person, wearing blue scrubs and a stethoscope around their neck, is standing beside the couch where the other person is seated. They're both smiling at the camera as the standing person passes a wooden tray with a white bowl of food and a glass of orange juice to the seated person.

A List of Demands: A Living Wage for Home Care Aids Supports Disabled People

I am angry—angry that Fair Pay for Home Care was not fully funded in New York’s budget in January 2022. And angry that the small pay increase that was approved won’t solve New York’s severe shortage of home care workers. …

Living (and Leaving) Diagnostic Labels

When I was 20 months old, I was diagnosed with what was then known as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA). Recently, though, the terminology has changed to Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), reflecting the often ambiguous origins and trajectory of the illness.…